Since ancient times, people have used fires for cooking meals outside. These have ranged from campfires to hibachis and more recently various types of uncovered and covered outdoor type charcoal grills.
Not only the method of cooking but the lighting of the fire itself has always been a problem that has had to be contended with. In more modern times, with the popularity of outdoor cooking of fish, chicken, steaks, and the like, the most troublesome problems have continued to be the starting of the fire to create the coals for cooking and dealing with flame flair-ups during cooking.
To overcome the fire starting problem, gas grills have been introduced with briquet shaped lava type rocks to simulate cooking over charcoal. This alternative, in an attempt to get away from lighting problems, has two main drawbacks, first they are expensive, and secondly they do not impart the flavor to the food being cooked that the use of hardwood charcoal gives.
The use of lighter fluids, which are usually petroleum distillates, invariably leaves a residual taste, has a bad odor when burning, and cannot be used until all of the briquets have been completely ignited and turn ash white due to the volatile odors being emitted therefrom. Electric ignitors have been marketed but these devices invariably burn out after a short time and have to be replaced which is both aggravating and expensive.
Finally, cylindrical shaped devices have been used wherein newspaper or similar material is placed in the bottom thereof with charcoal in the upper portion. When the paper is lit it will ignite the bottom layer of the charcoal thus eventually igniting the remainder. Although these ignitors do not leave residual odors, they are offensive in giving off large amounts of smoke when first ignited, tend to eventually burn out, and most importantly, are dangerous in that the charcoal must be transferred from the ignitor to the grill and then the ignitor placed somewhere that it will not burn or create a fire until it has cooled off. There is also the danger of a child or other person touching the hot cylinder and becoming badly burned thereby.